Entertainment

11 Best Songwriting Courses

Songwriting is an art that can be learned and honed through dedicated study and practice. While natural talent plays a role, even the most gifted songwriters have benefited from formal training to develop their skills and creative process. In today’s competitive music landscape, taking a comprehensive songwriting course can give you the edge needed to craft lyrics and melodies that truly resonate.

To help you navigate the myriad of choices, we’ve curated a list of the 10 best songwriting courses in 2024. These standout programs, vetted by both critics and student reviews, will equip you with the tools to find your unique creative voice and bring your musical ideas to life through impactful lyrics and melodies that move audiences.

1. Lyrics Writing Course by Jacob Carter

This comprehensive online course aims to teach students how to write compelling and impactful lyrics. Led by experienced lyricist Jacob Carter, it covers all the essential aspects of lyric writing through 6 modules:

  1. Finding Your Inspiration: Explore various creative writing methods to discover your unique lyrical voice and style.
  2. Lyrical Structure and Style: Study song structures, rhyme patterns, melodies, and analyze influential lyrics.
  3. How to Write Lyrics: Learn techniques for turning initial ideas into polished lyric drafts that connect with audiences.
  4. Developing Songwriting Depth: Enhance your lyrics using literary devices like imagery, metaphors, and characterization to convey deeper meaning.
  5. Understanding Genre: Gain insights into the conventions and themes of different musical genres to tailor your writing.
  6. Learn How to Co-write: Develop collaborative songwriting skills to work effectively with other artists and writers.

The $997 course provides lifetime access to HD video lessons, printable resources, writing exercises, and real-world examples. Students also receive a certificate upon completion.

The website also offers a free guide on lyrics writing from Jacob, as well as an option to ask him questions about song lyrics even for non-students.

2. How to Write Lyrics – The Song Foundry

This comprehensive online course covers all the essential skills for writing great lyrics. Through over 12 hours of video modules and a 54-page PDF pack, you’ll learn powerful techniques for generating lyric ideas, using rhyme and repetition effectively, crafting vivid imagery, and more. The course is ideal for both beginners and more experienced lyricists looking to level up their skills. 

3. Songwriting: Lyric Writing – Elevate with ICMP

This in-depth lyric writing course from ICMP focuses solely on honing your lyrical skills. Over 6 modules, you’ll analyze influential lyrics, experiment with structures and rhyme schemes, and develop your unique lyrical voice through immersive tasks and exercises. Created by industry experts, it covers everything from storytelling to genre conventions. 

4. Commercial Songwriting Techniques – Berklee Online

Taught by hit songwriter Andrea Stolpe, this Berklee course combines theory and practical exercises to help you write commercially successful songs while maintaining your unique style. You’ll learn a 10-step process for creating memorable melodies and lyrics that connect emotionally. By the end, you’ll have 3 completed songs and ideas for many more. 

5. Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies – Berklee Online

In this course from Berklee’s renowned Pat Pattison, you’ll generate better lyric ideas and express them compellingly. It covers key concepts like prosody, sense-bound writing, metaphors, and aligning your lyrics, melodies and harmonies. You’ll learn to set lyrics naturally to melodies across various song forms and time signatures. 

6. The Art of Songwriting – The Open University (FutureLearn)

This free 6-week course from The Open University provides a practical, comprehensive introduction to songwriting. You’ll explore core concepts like melody, rhythm and song structure, while getting insights from guest songwriters. Using specially commissioned lyrics, you’ll go through the full process of writing your first song, from words to a completed composition. 

7. The Singer Songwriter – Berklee Online (Coursera)

This comprehensive 4-course Specialization from Berklee covers all aspects of being a singer-songwriter. You’ll start by learning guitar fundamentals and vocal techniques, then move on to the core skills of lyric writing and melody composition. The final courses guide you through recording your songs using Ableton Live and turning your artistic vision into a sustainable career.

8. Songwriting Simplified: Music Theory, Melody & Creativity – Udemy

This beginner-friendly Udemy course promises you’ll write a complete song by the end. It teaches music theory essentials like chord progressions and melody writing in a simple, practical way. You’ll learn the techniques used by hit songwriters across genres like pop, rock and country. The course includes downloadable chord charts and scales to aid your practice.

9. Writing Song Lyrics: Create and Combine with Melody – City Lit

This 6-week evening course from London’s City Lit focuses on generating original lyric ideas from your experiences and setting them to melodies. You’ll explore lyric techniques like rhyme schemes, meter and imagery. The collaborative class environment allows sharing works-in-progress for feedback, with the goal of completing at least one full song.

10. The Lyric Writer’s Workroom – Songcraft

This online course from Songcraft provides a comprehensive, self-paced curriculum for writing lyrics. Through video lessons, writing prompts and peer feedback, you’ll develop skills like storytelling, creating hooks, rhyme schemes and more. The course gives you a structured process for going from initial ideas to polished, commercially viable lyrics.

11. Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics – Berklee Online (Coursera)

Offered by Berklee College of Music via Coursera, this course focuses solely on lyric writing using the concept of “prosody.” You’ll learn tools for expressing ideas through line lengths, rhyme schemes, rhythms and more. Each module has you write new sections and get peer feedback, with the final project being a complete lyric set to music.